Good bye Babacracy, welcome
democracy
By Pastor Ranti Akerele
Sunday, January 20,
2008
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•Yar’Adua
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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In the twilight of the Obasanjo administration, all right-thinking
persons had thought the former President was going to bequeath
on the nation, a legacy of good governance and the desire
to continue to protect democracy in the land.
But hardly had the preparations for the elections started
when it became obvious that dummies were to be sold to Nigerians.
You all can recall his ‘Do-or-die’ statement made
at Abeokuta and his wicked and malicious tirades against Dr.
Olusegun Mimiko (Labour Party governorship candidate in Ondo
State) at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-West campaign
take-off at Akure Sports Stadium. We all can recall the antics
of this man who foisted a de-facto garrison commander of Oyo
State politics on all of us.
Either in his party, the PDP, or the general political field,
Obasanjo’s handwritings were palpable. At least, if
nothing has vindicated those who had almost shouted themselves
hoarse to alert the nation to the danger of the legacy Obasanjo
was leaving behind, recent political developments in the country
have, with the tribunals set up to hear cases of electoral
malpractices in the last general election upturning some of
the supposed victories at the polls.
I, however, will like to recommend a new dimension to the
rulings from our courts. Nullification of elections would
not be enough. To teach those culpable of fraud in the elections
the required lessons, a person who perpetrates fraud to steal
what does not belong to him or her, should not only be made
to lose that stolen property, all salaries, allowances and
funds of state spent during such illegal tenures should be
paid back to the public coffers.
These people are worse than armed robbers; they should be
tried for criminal acts, this is when election rigging under
any guise will be fully discouraged in the polity. It is also
my opinion that as things are now, Prof. Maurice Iwu (Iwuruwuru,
apologies to Prof. Wole Soyinka, our own wordsmith) should
be removed as head of the INEC. Despite apparent fraudulent
practices, he still insists the elections he conducted were
free and fair. With him out, there will be sanity in the electoral
system and there will be hope of a free and fair election.
Iwu has been compromised, so is INEC.
For me, the tribunals have lived up to their billings. I therefore
pray that members of the tribunal will not allow technicalities
hinder their actions. I am hinting on this because eternal
vigilance is the price of liberty.
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